Rotary valve



March 16 1926. 1,576,591

" C. C. FOSS ET AL ROTARY VALVE Filed N gv. 1a, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR OkrstiazvC.Toss

1701 7103 1D. mom

WITNESSES 722 V ay/v1 6.

ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 16, 1926. v

UNITED s'rArEs 1,576,591 PATENT OFFICE.

CHRISTIAN C. FOSS, OF PIIl'ECASTLE, FLORIDA, AND DOUGLAS D.'DE LOAOH, OF

' SAVANNAH, GEORGIA.

ROTARY VALVE.

Application filed November 13, 1924. Serial No. 749,728.

- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHRISTIAN G. Foss and DOUGLAS 1). DE LoAoH,citizens of the United States, and residents, respectively, ofPinecastle, in the county of Orange and State ofFlorida, and ofSavannah, in the county of Chatham and State of Georgia,

' have invented certain new and useful Improvide a valve construction ofthe character described which when applied to a multicylinder internalcombustlon engine controls the admission of fuel to the respectivecylinders and the exhaust therefrom so that both the admission of fuelto the respective cylinders and the exhaust therefrom occur in timedsequence.

A still further object of the invention 1s to provide a rotary valveconstruction havinga valve seat comprising a plurality of sectionsmovable relatively in respect to one another and to the rotary valve tocompensate for wear on the relatively moving surfaces of the valve seatand the valve together with means acting automatically on the relativelymovable sections ofthe valve seat to adjust the position of suchsections in respect to one another to compensate for such wear.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a rotary valveconstruction of the character described which has means for conductinglubricant to the relatlvely moving surfaces of the valve construction.

Other objects and advantages will be ap-.

parent from the following description, considered in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 1s a-view, mainly in.vertical sec-' tion, and partly in side elevatiom showing a valveconstruction embodyingthe invention operatively applied to amulti-cylinder nternal combustion engine, only portions of the latterbeing illustrated,

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the rotary valve member of the device,

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section through the structureexhibited in Figure 1,

the view being taken throughone of thecylinders of the engine,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the rotary valve member,and

F1gure 5 is a horizontal section through a fragmentary portion ,of theengine block, lookmg down at the portion of the cover memberwhichoverlies one of the cylinders HEISSUED of the engine, parts of the valveconstruction being omitted.

v In Figure 1, the numeral 1 designates an engine block which is formedto provide a plurality of vertically disposed cylinders 2 and a space 3into which the bores of the cylinders open at their upper ends. As bestseen in Figure 3, the width of the space 3 is greater than the diameterof each of the cyhnders 2 so that a pair of shoulders as indicated at 4-are provided at opposite sides of the upper end of each of thecylinders,

these shoulders constituting portions of the bottom wall 5 of the space3; Both the bores of the cylinders 2 are water-jacketed as clearly shownin Figures 1 and 3 and as is usual in internal combustion engines.

The bores of the cylinders 2 are covered at their upper ends by awater-jacketed cyl- .inder cover 6 which rests upon the bottom of thespace 3 and may be attached to the bottom Wall of the space 3 by capbolts 7 or other fastening devices.

The portion of the cylinder cover 6 which overlies the bore of thecylinder is formed tovprovide an upstanding portion 8 which is circularin horizontal sectional contour and is enclosed at its upper end. Acontinuous rib consisting of o posite arcuate portions 9 connected bystraight parallel portions 10 is upstanding from the top wall of theportion 8 ,which otherwise is flat. A pair of passages 11 and 12respectively open in spaced apart relation through the top of theextension 8 within the spacewhich is outlined by the continuous rib. Thepassages -11-and 12 converge toward their lower ends and join each otherto provide a common openin indicated at 13 through the bottom wall 0 theportion of the cylinder cover'6 which overlies the bore of one of thecylinders 2, the opening 13 being in open communication'with the bore ofthe cylinder.

The s ace 3 within the engine block is covered y an upper or top covermember 14 which is water jacketed as shown andis secured by cap bolts 15or like fastening devices to the side walls of the engine block. The topcover 14 has pendant portions 16 of circular cross sectional contourcorresponding in numberand'arrangement with the upstanding portions 8,each of the pendent portions 16 being directly above and in axialalignment with the corresponding portion 8. The corresponding portions 8and 16 preferably are equal in diameter. The bottom wall of each pendantportion 16 is provided with a central cavity 17 and with a dependingcontinuous rib 18 which preferably is directly above and similar to theupstanding rib on the underlying upstanding portion 8 of the cylindercover. Except for the cavity 17 and the rib 18 the lower surface of-thedepending portion 16 is flat and horizontal. A pair of ducts 19 and 20extend obliquely through each pendant portion 16 of the top cover. Theducts 19 and 20 open at their lower ends through the bottom wall of thependant portion 16 between the rib 18 and the central cavity 17 and atopposite sides of the latter. The duct 19 opens at its upper end throughthe top wall of the top cover 14 into a conduit 21 which is attached tothe cover 14 while the duct 20 opens at its upper end into a conduit 22which also is attached to the top cover 14. It is to be ob served atthis point that the duct 19 opens at its lower end in confrontingrelation to the upper end of the passage 11 while the'duct 20 issimilarly located in respect to the up-' per end of the duct 12. I

. The means for controlling communication between the duct 20 and thepassage 12 and I between the duct 19 and the passage 11 will now be'described. Such means comprises a pair of relatively movable upper andlower valve seat members indicated respectively at 23 and 24 and locatedbetween each pair of vertically aligned sections 16 and 8 'orin otherwords over each cylinder 2. -The upper valve seat member 23 comprises ablock having a cavity 25in the lower face of the central portionthereof, the cavity 25 being concavely curved in cross sectional contourfor a purpose to be presently set out. The block of the upper valve seatmember is provided with a central upstanding guide lug 26 adapted toenter the recess or socket 17 and with a continuous groove 27' for thereception of the rib 18. The block of the upper valve seat member isprovided with an upstanding marginal extension of cylindrical form whichis indicated at 28 and which receives the pendant overlying portion 16therebetween by a sliding contact with said portion 16. Packing rings 29which are received in peripheral grooves in the pendant portion 16 areheld therein by the overlapping cylindrical extension 28' of the uppervalve seat member and provide a fluid tight seal between the extension28 and the pendant portion 16. The block portion of the upper valve seatmember has a passage 30 extending therethrough in alignment with theduct 19 and a second passage 31 extending therethrough in alignment withthe duct 20, both of said passages terminating at their lower ends inthe bottom wall of the cavity 25.

The lower valve seat member 24 is identical in essential respects withthe upper valve seat member and, includes a block portion which overliesone of the extensions 8 and has a recess 32 in its upper face directly 4from the block portion of the lower valveseat member overlaps theupstanding portion 8 and is in sliding contact with the latter. Thecylindrical portion 34 retains in place packing rings 35 which arereceived in peripheral grooves inthe encircled portion 8. I A shaft 36is journaled at intervals along its len h in horizontally alignedbearings 37 at t e upper endsof supports 38 which are upstandlng fromthe bottom of the space 3 within the latter, the shaft extendinglongitudinally of the space 3 and being provided with an enlargedcylindrical portion 39 for each pair of valve seat members 23 and 24 andtherefore for each cylinder 2. Each enlarged valve portion 39 isdisposed vbetween corresponding upper and lower valve seat members andis partially received in the cavities 25 and 32 of such valve seatmembers, the length of the enlargement 39 being slightly less than thelength of the cavities 25 and 32 and the curvature of the outer wall ofthe enlargement corresponding to the transverse curvature of the bottomwall of the cavities 25 and 32. Corresponding upper and lower valve seatmembers 23 and 24 are continuously heldin close contact w th theenlargement 39 which extends pair of. tension springs 40 which connectthe block portions of corresponding upper and lower valve seat members.It should be observed at this point that the block portion of each lowervalve seat member has a passage 41 which is in line with the passage 31of the corresponding upper valve seat member and a passagethe'corresponding upper valve seat member and that each enlar emcnt 39is provided with a. passage 43 w ich extends diametrically therethrou hand preferably corre' sponds in cross 'ectional contour and area witheach of the passages 30,- 31, 41 and 42. The enlargement 39 ispreferably hollowed out for the sake of likeness except for the walls ofthe passage 43, leaving webs 44 which stay the walls of the passage 43to the walls of the cylindrical enlargement and to the adjacent portionof the shaft 36.

From the foregoing description, it will be manifest that the enlar ement39 constitutes a valve forcontrol ing passage of fluid between thealigned passages 31 and 41 and between the aligned passages 30 and 42.The shaft 36 is provided with an axial bore 45 through which a suitablelubricant may be forced in any suitable known man ner. Lateral passages46 extend from the bore 45 radially through the shaft 36 at intervalsalong the length of the shaft and still other passages 47 extendobliquely to the bore 45 through the web portions 44 of the valves 29.The pipe 48 for conducting lubricant has branches 49 adapted to (lllS'.

charge against the periphery of the enlargements 39 and has otherbranches 50 which lead to the bearings 37. The shaft 36' is provided atone of its ends with a worm gear 51 in mesh with a worm 52 on a rotatingpart 53 of the engine.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, theoperation thereof may be readily understood. In actual practice, one ofthe conduits 21 or 22 is a branch of the intake manifold and the otherconduit is a' branch of the exhaust manifold for the engine. Acarbureted mixture passes through the intake manifold along one of thebranches 21 or 22 through one of the passages 19 or 20 and the alineolpassage 30 or 31 in the upper valve seat member for each cylinder andthrough the valve 39 for that cylinder when the passage 43 of thatparticular valve is in line with the passage 30 or 31 then through oneof the passages 41 or 42 and the aligned passage 12 or 11 and opening 13into the cylinder. After combustion has taken place in the cylinders,the exhaust gas will pass through the passage 12 or 11 and the passage41 or 42 and through one of the passages 3019 or 31-20 into the conduit21 or 22, whichever is a branch of the exhaust manifold. It will beobserved by referring to Figure 2 that the passages 43 of the respectivevalves 39 are spaced circumferentially of the shaft-so that a carburetedmixture will be admitted to each cylinder at a time other than that atwhich the carbureted mixture is admitted to the remaining cylinders andthat the exhaust from each cylinder will take place at a time other thanthat at which the exhaust will take place from the remainin cylinders.Combustion therefore may ta e place in the respective cylinders in timedsequence since the shaft is rotated by motion imparted thereto from arotating to the relatively moving surfaces of the.

valve constructions insures easy rotation of the valves with but verylittle wear on the.

relatively moving parts of the device.

We claim:

1. In an internal combustion engine, an

space above said bore, a c v I ing an extens on upstan mg therefrom ofcircular cross sectional contour, a cover, for

the space above-said cylinder bore, said last named cover having-a"portion dependmg' therefrom of circular cross-sectional contourengine block having a cylinder bore and a 'linder cover havand overlyingsaid u standing extension, a

lower valve seat mem er supported on said upstanding extension and.movable vertical- 1y, an upper valve'seat member slidably engaged withsaid depending? portion of 'the second cover," a rotary valve supportedbetween said valve seat members, said valve having a transverse passagetherethrough, and tension spring means connecting said valve seatmembers.

'2. In an internal combustion engine, an engine block having a cylinderbore and a space above said bore, a cylinder cover having an extensionupstanding therefrom of circular cross sectional contour, a cover forthe space above said cylinder bore, said last named cover having aportion depending therefrom of circular cross sectional contour andoverlying said upztanding extension, a

lower valve seat mem r supporting on said upstanding extension andmovable vertically, an upper valve seat member slidably engaged withsaid depending portion of the second cover, a rotary valve supportefgbetween said valve seat members, said valve having a transverse passagetherethrough,i and tension spring means connecting said" valve seatmembers, each of said valve seatmembers and the adjacent cover havingapair'of spaced passages therethrough, the passages 1n the valve seatmembers being alined with the corresponding passages in the adjacentcover and each passage in the valve seat members being adapted toregister with an end of the passage in the valve during each rotation ofthe latter.

3. In an internal combustion engine, an

engine block having a cylinder bore and a space above said bore, acylinder cover having an extension upstanding therefrom of circularcross sectional contour, a cover for the space above said cylinder bore,said last named cover having a portion depending therefrom of circularcross sectional contour and overlying said u standing extension, at

lower valve seat mem er supported on said upstanding extension andmovable verticaly,- an upper valve seat member slidably en-.

gagcd with said depending portion of the second cover, a rotarK valvehaving a transverse passage theret rough, tension spring meansconnecting said valve seat members, and packing means between each Valveseat mem er and the adjacent extension to one of said covers.

CHRISTIAN C. FOSS. DOUGLAS DE LOACH.

